Writhe In My Cage Of Torment
by Mr Vyppaaaa
Summary: Ada's busy schedule keeps her out of the country for days at a time. Leon has been "promoted" to desk duty. His suburban life has descended into monotony, driving the same car, to the same office, wearing the same suits. Week in week out. Leon has resorted to the company of another during his bouts with loneliness. His marriage is failing, and then an old friend sends a message
1. Chapter 1

**Writhe In My Cage Of Torment**

_**In loving memory of Chopper Mike**_

_**Born: Chapter 5-4**_

_**Died: Chapter 5-4**_

"**HEY! Get out of the way!"**

**Disclaimer**

Resident Evil and it's characters belong to Capcom, any original characters here in belong to The Real Boys™

**Foreword**

This work is an abomination, but that is by design. The writing style could be best described as a combination of "Why the fuck not?" and "It seemed like a great idea at the time". This is a story that was conceived in a Twitch chat, encouraged by the streamer, twisted farther by co workers, and ultimately perpetrated by one person…. ME. Mr Vyppaaaa is the name, spinning yarns is my game, and I will be your host for this journey into oblivion. I may pop in a few times in the future, to check on you or explain the backstory to a joke, but I just want you to remember, issa joke.

**Chapter 1**

The grandfather clock steadily ticks away in the corner of the living room. Leon sits quietly, ever vigilant, at the end of the dining room table. His scotch glass sits lonely on the table, the ice long since melted. He lost interest in alcohol after the first 3 drinks, but they had done their job. The worries of everyday life have been chemically calmed, leaving his mind quiet…. Peaceful. But this relaxed state left only one thing to do, introspection, a dangerous act for a man in Leon's position.

The clock strikes 2, jarring Leon from his contemplative state. Leon wearily rubs his eyes while thinking 'Maybe I should just give it up and go to bed' but before he can even finish the thought, headlights flicker past the front window. He can hear her car in the driveway, and then every step as her heels click up the front walk, steps made ever louder by the burden of her luggage. Impatiently, he waits as she unlocks the front door and shuffles her way in. Once she has closed the door behind her, he flicks the switch and the lights flash to life. Without a moment of hesitation she draws her pistol and aims towards the light switch. She only finds Leon, standing, without wavering or flinching.

**Leon **"Welcome home" said with an obvious amount of dry sarcasm.

**Ada **"You know that is a pretty good way to get shot right? I just got home from a contract" she hisses in response.

**Leon **"It's 2am".

**Ada **"Yeah, cars have clocks these days too, what a time to be alive….."

**Leon **"Your flight landed at 6"

**Ada **"...".

**Leon **"where did you go?" a hint of anger seeping its way into his scotch stabilized glare.

**Ada **"The office, I had to drop off the hard copies and debrief with my handler".

**Leon **"I called your office 3 hours ago and they hadn't seen you…." .

**Ada **"Jesus Christ Leon, are we really going to do this? Right here? Right now? With the kids asleep upstairs?".

She was right their 5 year old twin girls, Bda (Pronounced Bee-duh) and Cda (pronounced See-duh), and their 9 year old son, Jackrauser, slept soundly upstairs.

**Leon **"If not now then WHEN!?".

**Ada **"What do you want me to say?".

**Leon **"The truth" the seething rage had entirely burned off the haze of alcohol now.

**Ada **"Well isn't that just perfect? The perfect little good boy Leon, he never does anything wrong and can demand everyone to be as perfect as him. Well news flash, this is the real world, not a fairytale or a video game. You like to think of yourself as this perfect little _knight in shining armor _but I know. I have known for quite some time.".

**Leon **"What exactly are you insinuating?".

**Ada **"You, Smell, Like, BEARD OIL!".

**Leon **"...".

**Ada **"Does Kathy(Burton) know? How about Moira and Polly? Do they know their dad is a bottom that likes to cuddle with frosted tipped _twink _that shaves his legs" she quipped while waving her hand in the most flamboyant gestures she could muster.

**Leon **"I SHAVE THEM TO PREVENT BLISTERS WHILE WORKING OUT!" he is trembling with rage and shame.

**Ada **"Oh, 'WoRKiNg oUt'? Is that what you call it? *she begins thrusting her arms and hips in opposite directions* Is that what the kids are calling it? Because the rest of the world calls it 'Fucking a grown man and father of 2 while you think your wife is out of town'" .

They both stare in silence for several moments.

**Ada **"Well?" .

She picks up the glass vase from the dining room table .

**Ada **"Answer me you pathetic little B!TCH!".

She hurls the vase at Leon.

A quick step to the left send the vase crashing into the wall behind him. Before the broken glass hits the floor he has already grasped the table and tipped it over to the side, clearing a path directly to the threat (Ada). As he closes the gap and prepares to restrain Ada, she draws her pistol. Before she can draw a bead on him he grasps the top of the slide and pushes it back, forcing it out of battery. She pulls the trigger and is met with nothing but a *click*.

**Leon **"Did you forget what I told you about close quarters?"

**Ada **"No" she says with an unflinching glare

It was at that moment that the pain hit him. Looking down he sees the knife in his thigh, buried to the hilt, blood slowly dripping to the floor.

"Mom? Dad?" says the sheepish voice from the top of the stairs.

**Ada **"Jackrauser, what are you doing up?" she quietly pulls the knife from Leons thigh eliciting a stifled yelp from her husband.

**Jackrauser **"I heard yelling, and a crash…..".

**Ada **"it, it's just…. There was a wasp and I yelled because I was scared…. And Daddy tripped and broke the vase while he was trying to kill it for me".

**Jackrauser **"..." *tears forming in his eyes*

**Leon **"Don't worry buddy, go back to bed and Mommy and I will be up to give a drink of water and tuck you back in, okay".

**Jackrauser **"...okay".

That was the last mention of the situation that night and for several days after. They cleaned up the dining room, dressed his stab wound, put Jackrauser back to bed, and got back to pretending their lives weren't crumbling around them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Note**

This chapter contains several "in jokey" references to resident Resident Evil games, if you are not particularly familiar with the games just roll with it.

**Leon **"Maybe we are just too different to be together" he thought while staring into the garage.

Inside set Leon's black, government-issued, black Chevy Suburban. Beside it was Ada's bright red BMW M5. Two extremely different cars for two extremely different people.

Maybe that's just the way it is. He was a cop turned secret service agent, drivin by a sense of duty and drive for justice. She was a "Corporate Security Consultant"... Or at least that is what their tax return said. It was no secret what she really did at work, hell, it was how they met. She worked for a private intelligence firm that specializes in stealing trade secrets and technology and selling them off. She worked on contract gathering specific information, or free lance infiltrating anywhere she thought was valuable and selling off the spoils to the highest bidder. Now, she was not assassin or gangster, but there was no denying what her work entailed. If someone got in the way of her objective, it was nothing to her to eliminate them. Not only would she kill in the name or work, there was no telling the countless lives that resulted from the information she stole. But Leon never complained, it has funded a huge portion of the kids' college funds and her boss has "leaked" enough information to my office to keep them on the "necessary evil" list.

Leon glanced down at their license plates.

**His "**LDR4PUS"

**Her's **"REDDR3S"

**Leon **"Hmmm, maybe we are not as different as I thought"

Leon was jarred from his daydream about his corporate spy wife by the Fed Ex driver walking up his driveway.

**Driver **"Mr Kennedy?"

**Leon **"Depends who's asking" he answered with the fake smile suburban life conditions into everyone

**Drive **"Haha, never heard that one before, I have a package here for you" Leon hadn't noticed the small box in his arms, no bigger than a box of kleenex.

**Leon **"I suppose you are going to need my autograph?" another dry, programmed response

The driver couldn't even be bothered to respond. He simply took his signature and handed over the box. Leon checked his watch and was surprised by how long he had been staring off into the garage.

**Leon **"Jackrauser, come on buddy, let's pick it up, we gotta get you to school!" he said as he threw the package into the passenger seat of the Suburban.

**Jackrauser **"I haven't even had breakfast yet" he responded was he walked out the door.

**Leon **"We can grab something on the w-...".

**Jackrauser **"...".

**Leon **"What….. What in god's name are you wearing?" Jackrauser had emerged from the house wearing camouflage pants, a black compression shirt, suspenders, and a red wool beret.

**Jackrauser **"Mom says I look very fashionable"

**Leon **"Yeah, and she also says she is 29 instead of 30 something" *checks watch in frustration* "whatever, let's just go" he said ushering him to the car.

Leon deftly navigated towards Jackrauser's school. Normally, the school run would be with all 3 kids but due to a massive outbreak of pink eye the twins entire grade has been excused as a quarantine measure. By Leon's standards, a school run with 1 kid instead of 3 qualifies as "excitement". His life has sunk into utter menontiny, everything is down to routine.

Put on the same suits, drive to the same office, work leads from the same sources, drop suits off at the same dry cleaners every Friday. Day in, day out, week after week, month after month. When he was first taken off field duty, it was a blessing. His boss new his second (and the unexpected 3rd) child was on the way and he shouldn't be galavanting all over the planet. But, years later, it has worn on him. When he looks in the mirror, he no longer sees the young federal agent in a leather jacket with frosted tips, he sees a seasoned agent and father wearing a suit… with frosted tips.

He pulled into the **Blue Torch **gas and convenience store to grab breakfast.

**Leon **"Pick something out for breakfast but be quick about it".

**Jackrauser **"Got it!".

Leon went about making himself a coffee and grabbing a danish. He walked up to the counter and placed them in front of the cashier. While he waited for Jackrauser his gaze wandered to newspaper rack. The top headline reads "_Daughter of German Prime Minister still missing". _

**Leon** absentmindedly mutters "A few years ago, I would be leading that investigation".

**Cashier **"What're ya buyin, Stranger?" .

**Leom **"Uh…the coffee, the danish and whatever the boy picks out" before finished speaking Jackrauser pushed himself between his dad and the counter.

**Cashier ** "Is that all, Stranger?" he said while subtly pointing towards the counter.

**Leon **sighed in disapproval "Jackrauser Douglas Kennedy, you know darn well that beef jerky and root beer does not qualify as breakfast".

**Jackrauser **"But dad-".

**Leon **"But nothing, juice or milk, fruit or pastry, period".

**Jackrauser **"Getting soft, are we?" .

**Leon **"What?" .

**Jackkrauser **"What?" he replied while walking away to make a better selection.

**Leon "**Who does he remind me of? I can't quite place it…..".

Jackrauser returned with an orange juice and fruit cup.

**Cashier **"A wise choice mate!" .

**Jackrauser **"...dad?".

**Leon **"..." without a ward Leon pays for their purchases and begins walking towards the door

**Cashier **"Heh heh heh…. Thank you!".

Once they were back on they pulled out of the parking lot and got back on their way .

**Jackrauser **"... Dad? What was-".

**Leon **"I have no idea".

**Jackrauser **"...?".

**Leon **"I have never had less of an idea of what something was and I have personally fought gigantic plant, human, hentai monsters!".

**Jackrauser **"...".

**Leon **"...".

**Jackrauser **"What is Hent-".

**Leon **"Ask your mother!".

There was absolutely no speaking for the rest of the ride to school.

Leon pulled into the school's parking lot and joined the line for drop off. As they near the front of the line Jackrauser hops out.

**Jackrauser **"By Dad!".

**Leon **"Have a good day sport!" .

**Jackrauser **"Witness the power!".

**Leon **"What?".

**Jackrauser **"What?".

**Leon **"... Love you…".

**Jackrauser **"Love you dad, bye" before anything else could be said, he closed the door and started walking towards his classmates.

Leon watched as his son made his way towards school. It never ceased to amaze him that the same child he brought home from the hospital, was now walking to school. It was a miracle, as all children were….. And it was a miracle that Ada had given him. For all of their faults and disagreements, they had still worked together to create their beautiful children.

**Leon **"Maybe that is enough. Maybe our children are the only thing we need in common"

His contented mutering was interrupted by his phone ringing. It was from an unknown number but that was pretty common in his line of work so he picked it up like he would any other call.

**Leon **"Go".

**Caller **"what a strange greeting".

**Leon **"Look, either get to the point or hang up".

**Caller **"Open the package" Leon's heart skipped a beat.

**Leon **"What package ?" he could hear his own pulse pounding in his ears .

**Caller **"The box that arrived as you were leaving your house".

**Leon **"How did-".

**Caller **"Open the BOX!" just as the caller said 'box' there was a bang at the front of the car.

A child that looked to be about Jackrauser's age was standing before him wearing a bright red hoodie. His fist planted onto the hood. It was at that moment that Leon noticed the child was holding a phone to their ear and making eye contact with Leon. Without saying a word he began opening the box. Inside was a small velvet covered box, a little bigger than a deck of cards. He looked up, the child's eyes were still locked onto him.

**Child **"Go on….".

Inside the velvet box was a small teddy bear keychain with a single key attached.

**Child **"your past never dies, it will always catch up with you".

**Leon **"What?!" it was at that moment the child dropped the phone and shouted .

**Child **"_Morir es vivor_, " .

**Leon **screamed "STOP!" as the child turned and sprinted towards the large group of school children. Before Leon could get his door open there was a bright flash and an unbelievably loud bang.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Leon's vision was narrowed and blurry, the car's windshield was shattered, his ears were ringing. One sound began to pierce through the haze, the sound of screaming.

**Leon:** "Ugggh, what happened" he groaned as he stumbled from his car.

Before him lay dozens of people, mostly children, all with injuries consistent with an IED explosion. His training took over and he started barking orders exactly as he was trained following 9/11.

**Leon: **"Remain calm, EMS is on the way" He raised his badge above his head "Apply direct pressure to any bleeding wounds, DO NOT attempt to remove any shrapnel from wounds. If direct pressure can't control the bleeding of an injury on a limb apply a makeshift tourniquet above the wound. Belts, scarves, neck ties, garment sleeves can all be used as tourniquets"

The speech was simply running on autopilot as Leon made his way through the casualties . He was actually specifically looking for Jackrauser. He finally came upon his son lying in a small pool of blood. There was a large wound in his chest that appeared to be from piece of shrapnel entering his chest. Leon sprinted the remaining distance to his son, diving to the ground next to him.

**Leon: **"Hey buddy *lightly tapping his cheek* you gotta talk to me bud".

**Jackrauser: **"Dad?".

**Leon: **"Yes, it's me, it's dad., We're gonna get you some help" Leon was speaking with a near hysterical pace. He had removed and folded up his jacket to apply direct pressure to the wound.

**Jackrause: **"Dad, It smells like…. Like a battlefield…".

**Leon: **"Shshsh, everything is going to be okay".

Leon looped his necktie over his right shoulder and under his left arm. He repeated the process with his belt on the left shoulder. He gently rolled Jackrauser onto his side so he could tie them both behind him. These would at least attempt to keep pressure on the wound and slow the bleeding. Leon cradled him in his arms and began carefully carrying him back to his suburban. Distant sirens could be heard, growing ever closer.

Jackrauser's eyes remained closed as he was loaded into the back seat, his labored breathing being the only assurance that he was still alive. Leon climbed into the front passenger's seat. The windshield was far too badly broken to drive with so he was left with no other option than to kick it out from the inside. He leaned the seat back and brought both legs up. He pushed them forward against the glass with all of his strength again and again until the mass of glass and plastic lay on the hood. He scrambled over the center console and into the driver's seat. Leon started the car, sparing a quick glance back at his son, before putting it into drive and speeding off, running over two curbs in the process.

As he sped away from the school fire trucks and ambulances passed him going the opposite way.

**Leon: **"Shit" he exclaimed as he turned his red and blue lights on.

Leon had never quite seen the necessity to have them on his vehicle, 'most of my field work is over seas anyways' but today was definitely a time to use them if there ever was one. He continued towards the hospital as fast as the roads would allow, only yielding slightly at traffic lights to avoid T boning traffic.

**Leon: **"They have no idea what is going on, they are just going about their business like nothing has happened!" he cursed the other cars as flew past them.

As he approached the hospital he was forced to stop, a line of traffic had backed up nearly a quarter from a malfunctioning traffic light.

**Leon: **"This is one hell of a mess we're in," he said to himself as he hopped the curb and drive along the sidewalk.

Between him and the hospital parking lot stood a chain link fence, the only way in was to drive to the other side of the hospital, unless

**Leon: **"No choice, gotta take it down!" he floored the accelerator and broke through the fence.

A section of the fence flipped up onto the hood and slid towards Leon. The open frame where the windshield should have been did nothing to stop the jagged metal. He raised his right arm to stop the fence from reaching his neck.

**Leon: **"Aarrgh!" he wailed as the jagged metal cut into his arm. But it didn't matter, the emergency entrance was right in front of him.

He parked on the sidewalk to leave path clear for the ambulances that he knew would soon be following. Before he could even get the rear door open a hospital security guard was already walking towards him.

**Hospital Security: **"Sir, you cannot park the- JESUS CHRIST! Did you just drive through our fence" Leon simply ignored the guard's remarks as he removed Jackruser from the car

**Hospital Security: **"Sir, SIR! I'm gonna need to talk to you!" by this point Leon was already carrying his son through the door to the hospital"

**Leon: **"Write me a parking ticket" he shouted before the doors closed behind him".

The secretary at the check in desk was oblivious to Leon walking towards her, answering the phone like she had a hundred times before.

**Secretary: **"Whesker Memorial Medical Center, how may I direct-... I'm gonna have to put you on hold for a minute" she finally noticed the man carrying a bleeding child towards her.

**Secretary: **"LISA! WE'RE GONNA NEED A GURNEY!"

Without being prompted Leon began listing Jackrauser's condition to the best of his abilities.

**Leon: **"Male, age 9, 90 pounds, puncture wound to his chest, possible shrapnel inside. blood type A" the gurney had arrived and several hospital staff were removing the makeshift dressing he had made.

**Nurse: **"Dear god, what happened to him?".

**Leon: **"He was a student at the elementary school, how have you not heard about the explosion yet?!" he said with some stressed induced anger sneaking it's way in.

**Nurse: **"We know about the explosion but we are not expecting the first ambulance for another 20 minutes".

The talking ceased as the professionals began to work on Jackrauser as they wheeled him to the trauma bay.

**Doctor: **"I have no breath sounds on the left side, prepare a chest tube kit!".

The frenzied work began to blur for Leon. People yelling, machines beeping, equipment being wheeled in. He had some medic training, it was required for his job, they didn't want a HVT kicking the bucket before they gave up the intel, but here it was different. Watching your own child, surrounded by medical personnel, was a completely different experience.

As they inserted the chest tube he roared back into consciousness with a scream as he tried to sit up.

**Doctor: **"Restrain him! Push 5migs morphine!".

**Jackrauser: **"DAD! DAD!" Leon pushed his way into the crown so Jackrauser could see him.

**Leon: **"I'm right here buddy, everything is going to be okay!".

**Jackrauser: **"I love you dad" he said, voice wavering as the sedative began to take effect.

**Leon: **"I love you, now try to rest and let these people help you".

Even though the boy was woozy, the last thing he said was clear as day.

**Jackrauser: **"You may be able to prolong your life, but it's not like you can escape your inevitable death" he lost consciousness as he finished.

Leon was directed to a waiting room where the longest hours of his life began. He first called Ada, she had heard about the explosion at the school but had hoped that Leon had been running late and missed it. Her mother was on her way to the house to take Ada and the girls out for brunch, so it was decided that she would stay with Cda and Bda so Ada wouldn't have to bring them to the hospital.

**Ada: **"Have they told you anything yet?" she said as she walked into the door of the waiting room.

**Leon: **"The only thing they've told me since I called you is that he is going into surgery"

**Ada: **"My god, how could this happen? Right in our home town ".

**Leon: **"Ada….. there is one thing I didn't tell you about on the phone".

**Ada: **"..." she glared at Leon, but her gaze lacked it's usual fire, Jackrauser's condition weighed heavy on her.

**Leon: **"This arrived in the mail today"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keychain.

**Ada: **visibly surprised asked "What does that have to do with anything".

He explained how it had been delivered right as he was leaving the house. He told her about the child that called him on the phone right before the incident.

**Ada: **"That means….. That this wasn't a random attack, but this was targeted at us?"

**Leon: **"It looks like it".

**Ada: **"But what about the twins? If their grade didn't cancel school ...".

**Leon: **"Then they would have been a few feet from Jackrauser outside the school"  
**Ada: **"I need to call my mother".

**Leon: **"Good, I called my office before you got here and explained the situation, they are sending over a protection detail. You should probably let her know to be expecting them. Also, tell them to pack a bag, they're being moved to a more secure location within the next 4 hours".

**Ada: **"Can you trust the people from your office?".

**Leon: **"More than I can trust the people from yours".

What felt like year went by as waiting room became steadily more crowded. Parents of the other children at the school slowly trickled in. The sound of stifled sobbing was common. A hospital worker had brought in a cart full of clip boards to fill out with information on their children. Some parents were taken into small rooms down the hall, there they would be given the news, however good or bad it may be. Small groups of people began to form. Some groups were crying, others were angry that the hospital was taking too long to update them, one groups was full of people telling funny stories and laughing.

**Leon: **"Everyone has their own way of coping with tragedy" He said to nobody in particular.

The door opened once again, and another Doctor emerged, just like the dozens of times before.

**Doctor: **"I'm looking for a Mr and Mrs Kennedy?"

**Ada: **"Right here!" her heart racing once again.

**Doctor: **"Could you please follow me?" he said and began walking towards one of the private rooms.

Once inside he closed the door behind them and directed them to sit down.

**Doctor: **"Your son had a piece of shrapnel embedded in his left lung, lacerating the pulmonary artery. As a result of this he lost a huge amount of blood" Ada and Leon moved to the edge of their seats .

He continued

**Doctor: **"We started a blood transfusion and oxygen right away. Once we had x-rayed him to determine where the shrapnel was and how much we were dealing with we moved directly to surgery. While in surgery we gave him 5 units of blood while attempting to repair the artery…" .

**Ada: **"...and?".

**Leon: **"... go on.".

**Doctor: **"Mr and Mrs Kennedy, there was simply nothing more we could do. He had lost too much blood and we couldn't replace it fast enough. Your son, didn't make it".

Leon felt his blood begin to boil, the ringing was back in his ears and his vision was narrowing once more. Leon had seen death, he had seen zombies, BOWs, Ganados, Novistadors, and regenerators. But when he looked beside him he saw something for the first time in his entire life. Beside him, Ada was crying. She hadn't cried when he proposed, she didn't cry on their wedding day, she didn't spill a single tear when their first child was born or when her father passed away. But now, she was sobbing in the seat next to him.

He tried to place his arm around her but she slapped it away and ran out of the room, her heels clicking loudly down the hallway. Leon stood in the doorway and looked back to the doctor.

**Doctor: **"Sir, we will need you to do some paperwork later, but for now I suggest you go comfort your wife".

Without saying a word Leon ran after Ada, he rounded the corner just in time to see the red of her silk dress, as the elevator doors closed behind her. Leon opened the door to the stairwell and started going up, he had a pretty decent idea where she was going.

The roof of the hospital was segregated into two halves by a fence. On one side there was the helipad and the large service elevator for moving patients onto and off of the helicopter. On the other was the guest smoking area, where Ada sat.

**Leon: **"You could have held the elevator" he said, out of breath .

**Ada: **"Well if I don't make you exercise, how do you expect to keep your girlish figure?" The sarcasm comforted him in a way, it let him know that she had calmed down.

She stood up and walked to the edge of the building, protected a 4 foot high wall. Leon Followed and stood beside her.

**Ada: **"So what happens now?".

**Leon: **"Well, we have a few options. Option A, we bury Jackrauser, and then go into protective custody. They will give us new names, a house, jobs and so on."

**Ada: **"You know what I do for a living, so you know how easy it would be for someone like me to track us down".

**Leon: **"Option B, the government puts us into and underground bunker for a while with round the clock protection".

**Ada: **"I believe your words were that 'just isn't your style'".

**Leon: **"Right, that leaves us with our last option, Option C. We go on the offensive, and we don't stop until everyone responsible is dead".

**Ada: **"You know we won't be able to do this your way right? Waiting for clearance, arresting suspects and so on. We will have to do it my way".

A grey fog had rolled in across the city.

Leon took Ada's hand in his

**Leon: **"That is what I was counting on" .


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Leon stood before his closet, he slung the doors open and began pushing his suits to the side. Pushing past his polo shirts and khakis (for the weekend), past the holiday sweaters he is forced to where every year because "They were a gift from my (Ada's) mother", finally arriving at his goal. He pulled the heavy black garment bag out of the closet and laid it before him on the bed.

**Leon: **"Just when I was thinking it was time to retire you".

Opening the zipper revealed Leon's "Field Gear". Tactical pants, compression shirt, duty belt, kevlar vest and- .

**Leon: **"Maybe not this time," he said as he placed his leather jacket to the side.

**Leon: **"faux sheepskin will be back in style, someday…..".

Across the room Ada was also preparing herself for the task ahead. She opened her closet with the calm grace that had defined her. She pushed aside her red silk dresses, past her red silk evening gowns, beyond her red silk sun dresses, and finally past her red silk formal dresses. She pulled out her immaculate white garment bag. She laid it on the bed next to Leon's. She delicately opened the bag to reveal….. A red silk dress.

**Ada: **"A classic that never goes out of style" she held up the garment as she inspected it for defects.

**Leon: **"You know, someday you will need to expand your wardrobe".

**Ada: **"And someday you will need to stop wearing your hair like a 90's boy band reject, but neither of those days are here yet" Leon tried to think up a witty come back but was interrupted by the sound of a car horn from their driveway.

Leon drew his sidearm and quickly moved to peek out through the curtains.

**Leon: **"Expecting someone?"

**Ada: **"I thought the drive would get pretty quiet if it was just the two of us" it was then that Leon recognized the car.

**Leon: **"You can't be serious" The driver exited the car and held a large box over his head .

**Barry: **"LEON! ADA!" he shouted "I brought snacks!" Barry had put on a fair bit of weight since Ada had last seen him.

**Ada: **"I see that you like your men big these days" .

**Leon: **"At least he fills out his kevlar" .

Loen and Ada stepped out into their driveway. Barry was waiting, impatiently, rummaging through his cardboard box of snacks.

**Barry: **"Ada told me about little Jackrauser" he said as he swept Leon into a big bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

**Barry: **"You are strong, you are going to make it through this, it is always darkest just bef-" .

**Leon: **Straining for breath "B...Barry! AIR!" .

**Barry: **"Oh right, sorry" he suddenly dropped Leon knocking him off balance .

**Barry: **"And Ada…" he moved towards Ada to give her the same treatment but stopped short, her icy glare cutting straight through him.

**Barry: **"Oh, uh, right" he extended his hand for a gentle handshake.

**Leon: **"Barry, car, now"

**Barry: **"SHOTGUN! Uh er" Leon was already sliding into the passenger seat .

**Barry: **"But I called it"

**Leon: **"BARRY!" He climbed into the backseat without further protest.

Ada gently pulled out of the driveway and started towards the interstate. They cruised along in silence, Barry still feeling scolded from the incident in the driveway. But, the golden silence couldn't last, Barry could no longer contain himself.

**Barry: **"So, where are we going"

**Leon: **"..." Ada's stoic gaze quickly turning into a grin .

**Barry: **"Sooooo…?" .

**Leon: **"So you showed up at my house, in tactical gear and carrying a big box of snacks, without knowing where we were going?" .

**Barry: **"Yep, Ada said you would fill me in when I got there, but this is starting to feel like a thinly veiled expositional device to avoid writing a scene where we discuss this before getting into the car" Leon let out a deep sigh .

**Leon: **"Well, yesterday morning, as I was leaving the house, a small package was delivered , When we got to school , my phone rang, the person on the other end of the phone was standing in front of my Suburban. They knew I had the package in the car, and instructed me to open it. Inside there was a small teddy bear keychain"

**Barry: **"*CRUNCH* yeah *CRUNCH*" Barry had began eating a large bag of cheese puffs.

Leon asked himself 'Is this really the man I am cheating on my wife with?' .

**Barry: **through a mouthful of artificial cheese flavor "And then what happened?".

Leon: "The caller then said 'your past never dies, it will always catch up with you' I said, 'What?", he said 'Morir es vivor, ' ran towards the children and then…" the memory was too painful to recount.

Ada: "Boom" .

Barry: "...Right…" .

Leon: "We decided to postpone Jackrauser's funeral until we find whomever is responsible. The local funeral homes are already booked solid with the teachers and other children from the bom-bombing" Leon nearly choked on the word.

Ada: "And while we wait for the lab to process the explosive residue, we are going to go talk to the last person that had that keychain" .

They settled in for the long drive. The miles flew by as the twisting roads grew more remote

A few hours in the silence was again broken.

**Barry: **"Can we turn on the radio?" .

**Ada: **"Sure" Ada switched the radio on and waited .

**Radio: **"_Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass…." ._

**Barry: **"Oh shit, this my jam!" .

**Radio: **"_Making my way through the croooooooowd" ._

Leon made eye contact with Ada .

**Leon: **"No way" .

**Ada: **"Way" she cranked the volume WAY up .

**Barry: **"And I need you *string quartet riff* and I miss you *string quartet riff* and now I wonder…." .

And he just kept going

**Barry: **"Release your inhibitions, FEEL THE RAIN ON YOUR SKIN!" .

And going .

**Barry: **"I'm on tonight, you know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right!"

And going .

**Barry: **"Oh, oh, oh, I want to be free yeah, MAN! I feel like a woman!" .

And going .

**Barry: **"If you wanna be with me, Baby there's a price to pay, I'm a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right-" Leon could no longer contain himself.

**Leon: **He shouted "BARRY!" as he turned around so he could face the backseat .

**Leon: **"If you so much as utter ONE MORE WORD, I will take your revolver and shove it so far down your throat that-" .

**Ada: **"We're here".

Leon did not break eye contact with Barry for a solid ten seconds. Barry looked sheepishly at Leon, feeling hurt by the way the man he loved had spoken to him, he knew he was hurting inside, but still. Leon slowly turned back around and looked at their destination.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ada turned off the main road onto the long gravel driveway.

"**Fisher Mineral and Ore" **Read the sign at the driveway's entrance, just below it said .

"**NO TRESPASSING"**

**Ada: **"It seems nobody remembered to roll out my red carpet" .

**Leon: **"Better try a new joke, 'cause that one's gettin' old".

**Ada: **"Easier said than done".

An eighteen-wheeler rumbled past them in the opposite direction. It's paperwork will say it is carrying coal, but that is just a cover. Trucks roll in and out every day but not a single piece of ore ever leaves. The trucks leave carrying garbage and other waste, and they return carrying supplies (Water, food, office supplies ,etc).

Sometimes the trucks would run empty, just to give the impression of a profitable mine. At the top of the rise in front of them, a guard post could be seen with razor wire fencing on either side. Granted, fences and guards are fairly common at mine sites, but guard towers along the fence line with snipers atop, were not.

Ada gently brought them to a stop at the guard station outside the gate. A guard carrying a clipboard walked towards the driver's window and motioned for Ada to roll it down.

**Guard 1: **"Name, organization and reason for visit".

**Leon: **"Kennedy, STRATCOM and above your clearance".

The guard riflled through the papers on his clipboard before asking

**Guard 1: **"...Identification" he glanced at Ada and Barry.

**Guard 1: **"Theirs too"

The three produced their credentials and handed them to the guard, he took them back to the guard post to verify them.

**Leon: **"So which fake ID did you use this time?"

**Ada: **"Just wait and see".

The guard returned to the car and handed back their IDs.

**Guard 1: **"Welcome to **The Blacksite**, and I hope you enjoy your time in the US, ".

**Ada: **"Thanks!" she beamed a delightfully fake smile as the guard waved them forward.

**Leon: **"Really?".

**Ada: **"You never know when diplomatic immunity will come in handy" .

The gate slowly started opening in front of them. Two guards stood either side of the opening. One had his face covered by a scarf, as the car approached he opened his coat and held out one side saying.

**Guard 2: **"Welcome! Stranger…" .

**Leon: **"...".

**Ada: **"...".

**Barry: **"THANKS!" .

The large sprawling campus lay before them. **The Blacksite **still tried to keep up the appearance of a mining operation. Heavy machinery strewn about, large piles of rock and dirt, even a loading station for the "coal" trucks. The machinery even appeared to be well used, even going so far as to move the machinery every few days so that satellite imagery would appear to show a working site.

**Barry: **"They really go the extra mile, huh?"

Beneath all the pageantry lay the sites true purpose. The Blacksite was a level 4 detention facility. The detainees typically fell into 2 categories. The first being "Too valuable to kill", think high ranking members of terrorist organizations or scientists that performed unspeakable experiments. The second, is members of upper class, basically rich or politically connected people whose families wish to keep them….. "Underwraps" . This could be due to a legitimate mental illness, or possibly just knowing a little too much.

They parked in front of a building that appeared to be a large hanger for storing mining equipment. They entered through a simple, unadorned, door. Inside it appeared to be just like any lobby from a modern hospital, complete with a receptionist sitting at a desk. Around the perimeter there were artificial windows, screens really, displaying a boring exterior view of a hospital parking lot just off a busy street.

**Barry: **"Sure seems nice for a place that doesn't get too many visitors" .

**Ada: **"This isn't for visitors, it is for the detainees." .

**Leon: **"The idea is, if an escape attempt makes it this far, the generic lobby might help the guards convince them that they are just in a normal mental institution. Helping to pacify the situation and prevent them gaining any clues about where they really are." .

Unlike most receptionists, this one had been staring intently at them since they entered, waiting for them to reach a reasonable distance to great them.

**Receptionist: **"Mister Kennedy, the party you requested has been moved to an interview room and is ready for you" she said while gesturing towards the door to the left of the reception desk.

**Receptionist: **"A member of our staff will escort you there" .

An orderly wearing navy blue scrubs met them at the door and led them to an elevator. He selected their floor and they began their long decent down towards the holding facilities. The elevator stopped, nine stories below ground. Without a word, the orderly stepped out of the elevator and led them down the long, beige, hallway. They passed countless doors, each with a small window, covered by heavy metal shutter. The muffled wails of the inturned could be heard seeping through the thick doors. Some were laughing, others crying, one particularly loud voice kept screaming.

**Lunatic: **"PINEAPPLE DOESN'T GO ON PIZZA! PINEAPPLE DOESN'T GO ON PIZZA!"

**Leon: **"I can see we're not in the 'too valuable to kill' wing" .

They rounded the corner at the end of the hall and found a man in a white coat with thick glasses and long silver hair, standing by one of the doors. These doors were different, they seemed to be plain wood doors with large windows that covered most of the top half. The wire reinforcement making a grid pattern across the glass. The plaque on the door read "Interview Room #4", and the door to it's left read "Observation Room #4". The man in the white coat greeted them with a smile.

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Mister Kennedy, I'm Doctor Farnsworth, your party is waiting in the interview room. That will be all Geofry" the orderly turned and left without uttering a word.

Leon glanced through the window, noticing that her entire head was wrapped in bandages.

**Leon: **"What happened to her?" .

**Dr Farnsworth: **"Ah yes, 2 weeks ago there was a bit of an incident between her and one of our guards. I was certain that they would have told you when you made your arrangements."

**Leon: **"Well it must have gotten lost in translation, care to fill me in?" Doctor Farnsworth appeared visibly uncomfortable with the conversation.

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Well, you see" He removed his glasses and began nervously fidgeting with them.

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Well,2 weeks ago, she was being moved back into her cell after a routine exam….."?.

**Ada: **"And?" .

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Uh, she grabbed the guard's baton and proceeded to attack the guard. The guard's response may have been a bit of an overreaction." .

**Leon: **"Can she speak?" The doctor smiled and enthusiastically replied

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Yes! Well….. No" .

**Leon: **"Well which is it?" .

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Uh, she can speak, but not so much with her mouth. She suffered a broken cheekbone AND a broken jaw.".

**Ada: **"You call that a '**bit' **of an overreaction? I would hate to see one of your staff really lose it." Doctor Farnsworth's unease ever increasing.

**Doctor Farnsworth:** "To be fair, she did manage to give the guard two black eyes and a broken nose. She (the guard) was found slumped against the door in the hall. Your party was unconscious in her cell." .

Leon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

**Leon: **"... can she answer my questions or not!?" Leon snapped .

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Yes! She has been quite cooperative in using a small white board to communicate. She has actually been much more docile since the incident." .

**Leon: **"Great, Ada, Barry, wait in the observation room. If you notice anything remember, I am just a call away" Leon pointed to his wireless earpiece.

**Leon: **"Doc, you're going in with me"

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Is that really nece-" Leon cut him off before he could finish. The Doctor appeared to be more nerves than man at this point.

**Leon: **"That wasn't a request." .

The Doctor reluctantly followed Leon into the interview room, Barry and Ada went into the observation room. The dimly lit observation room was separated from the interview room by a one-way mirror. Leon sat himself at the table opposite the detainee. The doctor stood in the corner closest to the door, his back pressed against the wall. The detainee was shackled to her chair at the waist with her legs following suit. Her arms were left free so she could use her white board. Her head hung limp, looking down at the table. She was in a stupor, whether it was caused by medication, the pain from her injuries, or a broken spirit, Leon couldn't tell.

Leon took the keychain from his vest pocket and set it on the table between them.

**Leon: **"Ashley, long time no see" .


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Leon: **"God damn it, ANSWER ME!" Leon slammed his fists into the table.

**Barry: **"Jesus, what's gotten into him?"

**Ada: **"You….." .

This had gone on for almost an hour. Over and over, Leon asks the same question, Ashely gives the same answer, and the doctor cowers in the corner.

**Leon: **"Do you not know where you are? You are currently nine stor-"

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Mr Kennedy…" he said in a sheepish tone .

**Leon: **"What?!" .

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"We, make it a policy to not inform detainees of the specifics of this facility".

**Leon: **"And I make it a policy to ignore the input of people cowering in corners" he barked back.

**Leon: **"Now, you are 9 stories below ground, in a facility that doesn't exist, in a soundproofed room with 2 people that no real reason to see leave it alive. Now I am going to ask you one more time." He paused for a moment to settle himself.

**Leon: **"Who did you give this key chain to?" .

Ashley began to weep and she continually wrote the same answer over and over on the small white board…. "I DON'T KNOW".

**Leon: **"YOU BITCH!" he stood up and threw his chair across the room, it slammed into the wall behind Ashley.

**Barry: **"If we don't stop him he is going to kill her".

**Ada: **"He is just trying to scare her".

Leon stood next to Ashley and drew his sidearm. He pressed the barrel against her temple and paused to let the situation sink in. The doctor simply covered his ears and crumbled to the floor. Ashley's weeping turned into a loud whimper.

**Barry: **"Just to scare her eh?".

**Ada: **"...".

**Leon: **"I should have left you on that island" .

**Ada: (Over the earpiece) **"Leon, hair" Leon looked into the one-way mirror and ran his hand across his bangs.

**Leon: **"What about it?"

**Ada: (over the earpiece) **"Not your hair, her's"

Leon looked at Ashley's hair and slowly walked closer and closer to her.

**Barry: **"What are you on about?".

**Ada: **"Just watch".

Leon stood, staring at her.

**Leon: **"Doctor Farnsworth" The doctor uncovered his ears and began to stand, Leon holstered his weapon.

**Leon: **"This woman, is not Ashley Graham".

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"But ... but that's simply not possible. She was hand delivered to us by the secret service. Her fingerprints, dental records, and even her DNA all matched her records when she was checked in. Her father (former president Graham) even visited her last Christmas. Wouldn't he have noticed if this wasn't-".

**Leon: **"Her hair" Leon pointed towards her

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"...".

**Leon: **"Look at her roots.".

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"..." the doctor stared at the top of her head.

**Leon: **"They're brown"

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"Oh, yes, our records do indicate she is a natural blonde. But that is just a simple clerical error…." Leon sighed .

**Barry: **"How does Leon know she is a natural blonde?" .

**Ada: **"Let's just say she sent Leon several photos before she got locked up in here"

**Barry: **"Oh ...OOOOH!" Barry blushed .

**Leon: **"In that case, doctor, I would like to see your salon".

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"...beg pardon?" .

**Leon: **"Your salon, where you allow inmates to dye their hair. Or is there some other explanation for an inmate, who has locked here for years, has roots showing from brown hair growing in after being bleached".

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"We… don't have a salon….. And we don't allow inmates to dye their hair".

**Leon: **"Well then, in that case, where. Is. ASHLEY. GRAHAM?!"

Leon began pacing around the room, he noticed the inmate was finally writing something new on her whiteboard. It read "I TRIED TO TELL THEM" and then below it "I TOLD THEM I WASN'T ASHLEY". After reading this, it finally struck him.

**Leon: **"What did that guard look like?".

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"What guard?" The doctor was once again fidgeting with his glasses.

**Ada: **"... he's got it".

**Barry: **"got what?"

**Ada: **"Shush" .

**Leon: **"The guard that broke her jaw. Let me guess, female, stands about 5 foot 6, hair DYED blonde?" he now stood directly in front of the doctor, less than an arm's length away.

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"...".

**Leon: **"Where is she?!".

**Doctor Farnworth: **"Well, she hasn't come back to work yet. Her supervisor believes she may not come back. The attack may have shaken her up too badly." Leon leaned closer to the doctor.

**Leon: **"So you're telling me that a guard, at one of the most secretive facilities on earth, stops coming into work… and nobody is sent to check on her? To sign an NDA? To inform her that telling anyone about a black site is the fastest way to end up IN a black site?".

The doctor scrambled to get his phone out of the lab coat pocket.

**Doctor Farnsworth: (into the phone) **"We have a problem".

While the doctor spoke, Leon turned back to the inmate shackled at the table.

**Leon: **"Who are you?" .

The inmate began frantically scribbling on the whiteboard, when she was done she turned it towards leon. It read "MY NAME IS NIKKI. I AM THE GUARD. ASHLEY TOOK MY CLOTHES AND ID.".

**Leon: **"That is what I thought, Doctor, unshackle her, now!" .

**Doctor Farnsworth: **"I don't have the keys".

**Leon: **"Well then get them! In the meantime…." He turned back to Nikki

**Leon: **"We need your home address? Ashley would have gotten it off of your driver's license." . Nikki wiped the board with her sleeve and began writing again.

**Ada: (over the ear piece) **"Looks like we are going to be making a little house call" .

**Note**

For the sake of simplicity, statements intended as radio traffic will now be _italicized_.

Ada sped along the winding road away from the black site. Leon's phone rang, it was the office.

**Leon: **"Now is not the best time" he growled.

**Hunnigan: **"Leon!".

**Leon: **"Hunnigan? Been a while, I haven't seen you since the ESR (Eastern Slav Republic) incident" .

**Hunnigan: **"We can catch up later, the test results are back on the explosives used at the school. It was chinese made plastic explosive, part of a stolen shipment. It was trafficked through an arms dealer in Kijuju Africa".

**Leon: **"That is great, send me the full report, but right now I have some doors to kick down".

**Hunnigan: **"What? I thought you were talking to Ashley at the black site".

**Leon: **"Change of plans, it looks like Ashley beat a guard unconscious and assumed their identity. We are enroute to the guards home.".

**Hunnigan: **"She escaped!?".

**Leon: **"Right, I'll keep you posted" Leon hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

Ada shot Leon a sideways glare from the driver's seat.

**Leon: **"What?".

**Ada: **"You haven't seen her since the ESR incident eh?".

**Leon: **"...".

**Ada: **"How did she like that honey soap you brought back for her?" .

**Leon: **"...she was pissed, I said I was bringing her the soap and a ruby necklace…" Before Ada could continue the conversation, she slammed on the brakes bringing the car to a quick halt, they had arrived.

Ada slowly pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the garage. They dismounted and walked to the rear of the car. Ada popped the trunk to reveal several attache cases. Leon took the case labeled "Best Girl" and set it on the roof. Ada followed suit with another case.

**Leon: **"I assume you will be on point for this?".

**Ada: **"Heels are not ideal for kicking in doors, I'll cover the rear exit" she pulled her sawed off shotgun from the case and began walking towards the rear of the house.

**Leon: **"Women" Barry closed the trunk, the lid was blocking him from Leon's view.

**Barry: **"Ready".

**Leon: **"Barry…NO" .

**Barry: **"But-".

**Leon: **"No buts, you are NOT going into that house with a Grenade Launcher!".

**Barry: **"Come on!" He reluctantly stowed the Grenade Launcher and selected a more sensible shotgun.

They stacked up in front of the door, Barry in front, prepared to breach.

**Leon: **"_Comms check, GO"._

**Ada: **"_Rear entrance, 5 by 5"._

**Barry: **"_Breacher, 5 by 5" ._

**Leon: **"_Front stack, 5 by 5. Alright, we are go, breaching in 5...4...3...2 ..." ._

Barry put a round into the dead bolt and one into each of the hinges. He kicked the door in and walked into the house with Leon following.

**Barry: **"Clear right".

**Leon: **"Clear left" he keyed his mic .

**Leon: **"_Ada, we're in, standfast"._

**Ada: **"_Roger" ._

Barry and Leon methodically cleared the first floor before heading upstairs. But room after room, they found nothing. They reached the end of the hallway, the final room, but it was locked.

**Leon: **"I don't like this" he whispered.

**Barry: **"Well there is only one thing to do" he whispered back.

Barry reared back for a hefty kick, and then brought his full body weight forward against the door. But when he made contact with the hollow core interior door, his foot penetrated and barry fell through the door.

**Leon: **"Shit! Barry!" Leon pressed through the hole Barry left in the door.

**Barry: **"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Barry yelled from the floor, he scrambled to his feet to find Leon staring at the bed, awestruck..

**Barry: **"_Ada, ops check"._

**Ada: **"_Rear entrance, ops normal, I heard yelling, are you two having a little fun?"._

**Leon: **"_You're gonna want to see this" ._

The last room was the master bedroom. It was largely unremarkable, boring drapes, en suite bathroom, generic bed set. But on the bed, there was a makeshift mannequin. Made from a button up shirt and a pair of pants stuffed with other clothing. The head was made from a pillowcase with a crude face drawn on. Across the would be fore head, written in black permanent marker, it read "LEON".

**Ada: **"Awwww, look at that, she still thinks about you" .

**Leon: **"Very funny".

**Barry: **"Guys, look what I found" They turned to see him holding a camcorder .

**Barry: **"It was on the dresser, and it has 'Watch me' written on it".

They took it downstairs to the living room, Barry had suggested that they watch it on the TV in the bedroom, but Leon wanted to get away from the mannequin. Or should they call it the "Mannehim"?

Barry connected it to the TV and pressed play. The video started with a view of the bed from the dresser, Ashley walked into frame.

**Ashley: "**Leon, I'm glad you found this.".

**Leon: **"No black eyes" he remarked.

**Ada: **"That means she waited here for a few days before she made this".

The video continued.

**Ashley: **"It seems like so long ago, when we spent that time together in Spain. We may have been running from cultists and giant bugs, but it was still the best experience of my life. Because….." she paused for a moment

**Ashley:** "I got to meet you. From the moment you threw us through that church window, I knew you were the one. After that, all you had to do was whistle and I would come running. You even locked me in a wardrobe to protect me from that disgusting man that commented on my 'ballistics', eeewwww" she visibly cringed with that ew.

**Barry: ***crunch*

**Ashley: **"Even when I pushed you away in the castle, you killed dozens of people to get me back."

**Leon: **"I should've '_accidentally_' shot her instead of the restraints"

**Barry: ***Crunch*.

**Ashley: **"I had to run past suits of armor, and spend hours solving that, but knowing that it would get me back to you, is what kept me going through the darkness."

**Barry: ***CRUNCH* .

**Leon: **"BARRY!... Where did you get popcorn anyways?".

**Barry: **"Ada made it while I was hooking up the camera…" Leon glared at her .

**Leon: **"Really?" Ada just smiled.

**Ashley: **"When you pulled me down the garbage chute, you showed me that I could survive any adversity. Just like our love is capable of lasting through anything. And when you strapped me into that machine, on the island" a chill ran through her body.

**Ashley: **"No man had ever made me feel like that before".

**Ada: **"And what machine was this Leon?".

**Leon: **"It was supposed to remove the parasite, but as you can see, it is still alive and well" he gestured towards Ashley's image on the screen.

Ashley paused again, her demeanor shifted, it seemed she was recalling particularly painful memories.

**Ashley: **"But then, it all ended. You blew up the island, we rode off into the sunset on the jet sky…. And you acted like nothing happened between us. All you talked about for the entire transatlantic jet sky ride was some guy named 'Mike' who was like, your barber or something,

I wasn't listening." His name alone sent shivers down Leon's spine.

**Leon: **"Mike" he stared off into space for a moment and had a mini flashback.

He was instantly transported back in time, to that island. The smell of death and despair hung thick in the air. He down at his hand, his earpiece lie in his palm. He brought the earpiece up to his ear, the voice on the other end shouted

**Chopper Mike: **"Hey, get out of the way!" Leon was then snapped back to reality by a loud

**Barry: ***CRUNCH*

**Ashley: **"After you handed me off to the authorities, they questioned me for days on end. They wanted to know where I was, what I heard while I was a prisoner, where I learned to drive a bulldozer. I kept asking about you, but all they told me was 'He's been furloughed'. The only thing that kept me sane during the interrogation, was my undying love, for you."

**Ada: **"Awwww, how cu-"

**Leon: **"Shut up."

**Ashley: **"Eventually they let me go home, but the first thing I did was go to your office. They told me you weren't there, but I knew that was a lie. I could feel your presence in my heart, the bond of true love that has always connected us. Before long, I was served with a restraining order, but I knew it was all a lie. You would never sign something that would keep us apart. It was then that I knew, your wife and kids were keeping us apart. That was the only reason you would refuse a visit from your soulmate. I started making connections with people that could help me 'deal' with your children, but before I could make any real plans, men in black suits showed up at my home. Daddy had recently finished his second term in office, and he decided that it was the perfect time for me to 'go on a vacation' for a while." The sadness in her eyes turned to anger

**Ashley: **"They drugged me, and when I woke up, I was in a windowless cell. I stood by the door for days yelling 'Leon, HEEEEELP' but you never came. I turned to writing it on the walls. I started with the crayons (can't be made into weapons like pens and pencils) they had given me to write in my journal. When I ran out of crayons I switched to scratching it into the paint with plastic utensils I kept when my meals were delivered. Eventually they stopped giving me utensils, so would bite my finger tip, and write it in blood"

**Leon: **"Jesus Christ"

**Ada: **"What's wrong Leon? I thought you liked your women a little _crazy_" She flashed a creepy, wide eyed stare at Leon.

**Ashley: **"I filled every inch of those walls with that one phrase, but you never came. I knew the only way I would ever see you again would be to get myself out of the facility. So when that blonde guard came into my cell, alone, I saw my opportunity. I would tell you what happened after that, but if you found this video then you have already figured it out. I made contact with the same people I was talking too before my incarceration, and set my plan into motion. By now, your children are dead" Leon's fists clenched and he began to shake, Ada reached out and held his hand.

**Ashley: **"I am sorry, but they had to die. I knew you would never leave your wife with your children in the picture. But look on the bright side, we can start over. Now we can have babies of our own, we can even give them the same names if you want!" she looked down at a box that was next to her on the bed and reached inside it.

**Ashley: **"Above all else, there is one thing you need to know." She produced a large syringe from the box

**Barry: **"That can't be"

**Leon: **"Oh no….."

She jabbed the needle directly into her neck and pressed the following the injection, her body began to shake violently, as if she was having a seizure. Her eyes closed as she struggled to stay upright. After a moment she stopped shaking, but when she opened her eyes, they had changed. Her corneas were now a golden amber, and her pupils were blood red.

**Ashley: **"Leon, you will be mine, or you will be dead" the screen cut to static.

Without saying a single word, Leon stood up, and walked to the car. Barry and Ada stayed seated for a moment, surprised by Leon's sudden exit. By the time they caught up with Len he was already waiting in the passenger seat of the M5.

**Barry: **"Leon, are you gonna be okay".

**Leon: **"Get in".

**Barry: "**Where are we going now?" .

**Leon: **"Ashley said she had contacted someone who was helping her, if we want to find them, we need to start by finding whoever sold them the explosive.".

Ada climbed into the driver's seat

**Ada: **"So we are going to the airport? I hope Hunnigan remembers that I only fly first class".

**Leon: **"Not yet, first we are going to the address I put into the GPS".

**Ada: **"And that is…..?".

**Leon: **"Just drive, you'll know when we get there".

The drive was largely silent, Barry didn't even ask to listen to the radio. About an hour into the drive, Ada called her mother to check on the twins, Ashley had her spooked. It was eerie knowing that a pink eye outbreak had saved their lives.

By the time they arrived it was nearly ten o'clock

**Ada: **"Really Leon? Our secret destination was a bar?".

**Barry: **"Yeah, if you needed a drink, we passed like ten bars on the way here".

**Leon: **"It's not about the bar, it is about someone inside.".

They walked into the smoke filled bar, a jukebox played a hard rock song that was older than most of the patrons. Few people took notice of them walking in in full tac gear. The bartender briefly made eye contact before returning to the glass he was drying. Two men were arguing over the outcome of a game of pool. One man was silently playing darts, alone with his bourbon and cigar. In the farthest corner from the door, sat a lonely table. The man sat at the table was hidden by the shadows of the poorly lit corner, but the red glow from his cybernetic eye cut through the darkness. He did not look up as the group approached him, his gaze remained transfixed on the glass of beer in his hand. Much like his eye, the glint off of the gun metal frame revealed that his right arm was also prosthetic.

**Leon: **"Punch any boulder's lately?"

**Man in the shadows: **"Heh" as he spoke his glass exploded as he clenched his robotic hand into a fist, sending glass shards in all directions.

The man stood up and took a step forward, revealing his grizzled face.

**Chris Redfield: **"That's funny, are you still touring with that NSYNC tribute band?" .


	7. Chapter 7 (the gross one)

**Chapter 7**

Chris reached into his left cargo pocket and produced a cigar, he brought it to his lips before saying.

**Chris: **"Well, that is some story" with a snap of his metal fingers he produced a flame and held it to the end of the cigar, he gave it a few puffs to get it started and then shook his hand to extinguish the flame.

**Chris: **"But what does it have to do with me?"

**Ada: **"The explosives were traced back to africa, the fact that we're here should tell you which part".

Chris took a long drag, paused, and then blew out a large cloud of smoke, blanketing the table in an ominous fog.

**Chris: **"Kijuju" he gritted his teeth with the mere mention of the place.

**Ada: **"Correct, now we realize that you only spent a few months there but your contacts will be indispensable"

**Chris: **"Heh, 'only a few months'..." He clutched is metallic right forearm with his left hand and stared down at it, the cool metal unyielding to his touch.

**Chris: **"I left a piece of myself there, a piece I will never be able to get back".

**Leon: **"You may have lost your arm in Kijuju, but we lost our son, right here in the U-S of A." His remark jarred Chris from his day dream and brought his focus back to the two sitting in front of him.

**Leon: **"Now our son is gone, and no prosthetic will ever be able to fill the void he left in out hearts" Leon swallowed hard, trying to hide the emotion that was worming its way out, Ada place her hand on Leon's thigh to comfort him.

**Leon: **"But what we can do, is hunt down those responsible and make sure they never have a chance to snuff out anyone else's child, prevent them from causing this pain to anyone else" Leon had not realized this, but he had started to slowly stand while he made his last statement.

He sat back down and took a deep breath before adding.

**Leon: **"Are you going to help us, or are you just going to let yourself rot in this bar while evil still exists in this world?".

Without breaking eye contact, he took the cigar from his mouth and stubbed it out on the table. His prosthetic eye seemed to glow brighter had he leaned forward across the table and said

**Chris: **"I'm in" .

Leon and Ada both sighed with relief, without Chris tracking down the source of the explosive would be nearly impossible.

**Chris: **"I'll contact Sheva, have her start asking around about arms dealers." He then locked eyes with Leon.

**Chris: **"Leon, you understand what this means? There are no more orders from here on in, it's just us, and we're not going to stop until they're dead.".

**Leon: **"That is exactly what I am counting on". Ada turned to a man sitting alone at a table behind them

**Ada: **"Barry, wake up, BARRY!" but it was no use, Barry was locked inside the confines of his own mind, a state triggered by seeing chris.

He could not speak, he could not move, it was as if he was watching a movie. Barry was knee deep in the memory of the last time he saw Chris, he was having a flashback.

**Note**

The rest of this chapter is a flashback… and is gross. Proceed reading at your own risk. Nick, the rest of this chapter is your fault

_25 July 1998, the Spencer Mansion incident had just wrapped up and the remaining S.T.A.R.S members were celebrating their survival. The drinks flowed and the music never stopped as the team partied like they never had before. There is just something about a near death experience, nothing could ever make you feel more alive. How one deals with this varies from person to person, some may feel invincible after narrowly escaping death, for others it brought the realization that their life could end at any moment. Either reaction, usually had the same result, a need to celebrate. _

_It was getting late and last call was approaching, Barry was heading up to the bar to order another round when Jill approached him, flanked by Chris on her left side. They had a proposition for Barry, a proposition that would change him forever._

_**Barry**__: "You want to do what?!"_

_**Jill Valentine**__: "Sshshh, if anyone else hears you the deal is off"_

_**Barry**__: "But, but I am a married man"_

_**Chris**__: "We know you and Kathy have been separated for a few months, the whole team knows, hell, the entire department probably knows by now." Barry stamered, trying to articulate a response but was too flustered_

_**Jill**__: "We know she has been living with her HUNK of a boyfriend and is talking about taking the girls and running away to your cabin upstate" she paused for a moment to let this sink in _

_**Chris**__: "All we are doing is offering you a chance to relieve some stress and have a little fun" Barry was now silently staring at the glass in his hand, absentmindedly swirling the contents._

_Jill slowly stepped closer to Barry and cocked her hips standing in front of him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and slowly moved it to his neck, and then his chin. She gently moved his chin up and towards her before asking_

_**Jill**__: "So are you in" her eyes felt like they were burning a hole right through him._

_Barry looked away, downed the rest of his drink, and brought his eyes back to Jill._

_**Barry**__: "Let's make a Jill sandwich" _

_Each of them left the bar in separate taxis (don't drink and drive kids), not wanting to tip off the other team members that they were going somewhere together. The plan was for Chris to leave first and go to the store for some "party supplies" whatever that meant. Thirty minutes later, Jill would leave and check into a hotel room, this would ensure a place where they could all be equally comfortable. Twenty minutes after Jill left, Barry would leave and head straight to the hotel. _

_Barry felt apprehensive as he stepped into the cab. The driver greeted him _

_**Driver**__: "Where're ya head'n, stranger?"._

_**Barry**__: "Uh, the Apple Inn, gotta get some sleep"_

_**Driver**__: "is that all, stranger?"._

_**Barry**__: "...yes…. Just gotta catch some Z's"_

_**Driver**__: "Heh heh heh" ._

_Barry worried that the driver might be onto him, _

_Barry: 'had he also taken Jill to the hotel?' he thought but he pushed the worries aside thinking _

_Barry: 'if the entire department knows what Kathy is doing, what's the harm in a Cabbie knowing what I am doing?'._

_The taxi pulled up to the front door of the Apple Inn, Barry gazed through the glass doors to find Chris waiting inside. Barry hurriedly paid the driver and was met with_

_**Driver**__: "Heh heh heh, thank you"._

_Barry walked straight past the front desk towards Chris. Chris was carrying a 4 grocery bags with him._

_**Barry**__: "Care for some help with those?" ._

_**Chris**__: "Sure, here" he handed Barry 2 of the bags.._

_Barry snuck a peek inside one of the bags and saw whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and…._

_**Barry**__: "Why did you buy bologna?"_

_**Chris**__: "Protein, you gotta fuel up between round 1 and 2" ._

_Barry: 'Round 2? What am I getting myself into?' He thought to himself._

_The rest of the way towards the room was silent, barry still feeling nervous about the whole situation._

_Chris gently knocked on the door of room 101 before realizing the door was unlatched. The room contained two queen size beds and a small bathroom to their left as then entered. The shower could be heard running in the bathroom._

_**Chris**__: "Jill must be taking a quick shower"._

_**Barry**__: "Yeah….." something wasn't right, he noticed a small duffel bag was sitting at the foot _

_Barry: 'How could she run home to get that bag, and get here to check in in only 20 minutes?' he thought. A realization suddenly hit him_

_Barry: 'This isn't a spontaneous event, they planned t-' The thought was interrupted by Jill exiting the bathroom._

_She was wrapped in an immaculate white towel, her skin glistened with moisture. Before Barry could say anything she dropped her towel and step towards him. Barry was looking down at her body, until her lips met his in a gentle kiss. She began slowly undressing him while leading him towards one of the beds. _

_Barry and Jill lay together in bed, kissing passionately. Chris had gotten himself undressed and joined them. Chris was gently rubbing Jill's back while her and Barry made out. Barry had never done anything like this before and was worried that his nerves would cause a premature ending. He would soon find out that he had nothing to worry about._

_**Jill**__: "OH! Well, judging by what is poking me in the ass, I see Chris is ready to go. How about you?" she reached down and grabbed Barry_

_**Jill**__: "Oooooh" she gently rubbed Barry_

_**Jill**__: "You are as excited as Chris" she said with a giggle_

_**Jill**__: "Alright, just let me grab something and we can get started" She quickly got up and retrieved a can of whipped cream and a small jar or cherries._

_She returned to her spot between them on the bed and proceeded to cover her breasts with whipped cream. She topped each one with a cherry roughly where the nipple would be and said._

_**Jill**__: "Dig in boys"._

_Barry and Chris began slowly licking the whipped cream off of her, bit by bit. Jill gently cooed in response to their mouths. Before long they had both finished the whipped cream, eaten the cherry, and began work on her nipples. Her cooing turned to loud moans as they licked and sucked. Barry placed his hand on the inside of her knee and began slowly rubbing his way up towards her lips, but Jill stopped him_

_**Barry**__: "What's wrong?"_

_**Jill**__: "Nothing, I just need to get something first" she left the bed and began digging through her small duffel bag._

_Chris tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with the naked Barry that lie next to. But, Barry didn't avoid looking at Chris. He let his gaze wander over his muscular shoulders, down his sculpted pecs and washboard abs. He had never looked at another man in this way before. He was interrupted by Jill's return to the bed, he ran his eyes down her body…. Until he got to her waist. He was speechless. Before him, this beautiful, naked woman, was wearing a large strap on. _

_**Barry**__: "What is that for?" Chris wrapped his arms around her from behind_

_**Chris**__: "It's is just like we told you"_

_**Jill**__: "We're going to make a Jill sandwich" Jill had a small bottle of lube in one hand, she began applying it to the strap on_

_**Jill**__: "Now, bend over, you are the bottom bread!" Barry didn't know what to do, he was already in this deep and didn't know how to stop it._

_Barry waited on the bed, on his hands and knees. Jill got close to his ear and whispered _

_**Jill**__: "Just relax, I know you are going to like it"_

_Jill slowly pushed the hard silicone into his rectum. Barry forced himself to relax as it slowly pushed pass the ring of muscle. Once she was all the way inside, Chris entered Jill from behind. They had really done it, they had made a _

_**Chris**__: "JILL SANDWICH" he yelled as he began to thrust in and out of Jill, forcing her in and out of Barry._

_**Jill**__: "Oh my god yess" she yelled and reached around in front of Barry to stroke him._

_Barry was terrified, not of what was happening, but rather of how much he liked it. _

_**Barry**__: "how have I gone my entire life without this feeling!?" he shouted_

_**Jill**__: "See Barry! I told you!" The trio continued for what felt like hours before they all were spent._

_They collapsed into a naked, sweaty, panting heap on the bed. A few minutes later, Chris got up to make himself a sandwich._

_**Chris**__: "I'm gonna grab a quick shower before round 2" he left the bathroom door open and Jill followed shortly after and joined him in the shower._

_Barry now lay alone on the bed, just thinking about what he had just experienced. He knew Kathy would scoff at the idea of bringing a strap on into the bedroom. But he wondered_

_**Barry**__: "What if it wasn't a strap on?" _

_A few years later, a survivor of the Raccoon incident would fulfill the burning desire he know felt._

***SPLASH*** the ice and water flowed over his face

**Ada**: "BARRY! Wake up before we leave you here".

**Chris**: "Are you feeling alright?".

**Leon**: "Maybe his blood sugar is low, let's get him a sandwich".

**Barry**: "A sandwich?".


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Leon: **"No matter how many times we do this, it never gets any easier" .

**Ada: **"Just keep your head down and keep moving, we will get through this just like always".

**Barry: ** "There has to be a better way".

**Chris: **"There is a better way, _MY _way, but-" he was cut off .

**TSA Agent 1: **"SIR! We need your boarding pass AND your passport".

**Chris: **"Here we go…".

**TSA Agent 1: **"Mr Readfeild, your eyes are Hazel, but you appear to have one hazel, and one… glowing… red… eye that is staring directly into my sou-" She cut her own sentence short and stared down at the desk as she handed back his documents.

Chris stepped forward and was greeted by the standard speech.

**TSA Agent 2: **"Please remove your shoes and place them into the bin, please remove laptops from your bag and place them into a separate bin, please remove belts, jewelry, keys and other metal objects and place them into the bin" Chris approached the second agent and simply held his metal hand up at eye level.

**TSA Agent 2: **"...".

**Chris: **"..." his prosthetic eye growing brighter once more .

**TSA Agent 2: **"Uh, we're going to have to wand you sir" without saying a word, Chris raised his other hand holding his BSAA badge.

**TSA Agent 2: **"...or not".

Chris walked past the agent and through the metal detector, setting off every alarm as he strode, not even sparing a glance back at the puzzled onlookers. Leon, Ada, and Barry followed suit, using their badges (Ada's being a superb forgery) to side step the metal detectors and follow Chris into the terminal.

The trio caught up with Chris as he was buying a bottle of water and a popular mechanics from a Hudson News.

**Chris: **"If we had done this _MY WAY_ we wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit" he turned away from the cashier and lowered his voice.

**Chris: **"A C-130 could have dropped us on a grass strip, on the bush, with fully loaded trucks full of gear. No customs, no TSA, no hassle. But now we are going to land with nothing but a couple handguns and my over sized cigar lighter" Chris held up his right hand, a small flame flickering on the tip of his middle finger.

**Leon: **"We went over this, your black flight would take a week to charter, we can't let the trail go cold".

**Ada: **"And I only fly first class, a canvas seat in a cargo hold simply won't do".

**Barry: **"Holy shit! They have a White Castle!". The rest of the group stared at him in silence .

**Barry: **"I mean… they made that movie about them" the awkward silence persisted .

**Barry: **"...I'm gonna go get us a crave case". Barry slowly turned and walked away from the group.

**Ada: **"Chris, listen, Sheva and Hunnigan are already working on acquiring the proper equipment from her local contacts".

**Leon: **"Think about it, we are heading to the arms trafficking capital western Africa".

**Chris: **"That is what I am worried about, if word gets out about someone with deep pockets buying a lot of gear….. Let's just say I hope our target runs away instead of setting up a welcome party".

**Leon: **"That is just a risk we are going to take, the brevity of the situation requires it"

Chris simply walked away, frustrated.

**Ada: **"He's just stressed".

**Leon: **"I know, we are asking him to revisit some painful memories." .

Time seemed to drag on as they waited for their flight. Chris had disappeared to a bar to steady himself, and Barry was going for the record of most sliders eaten before an international flight. That just left Ada and Leon, alone.

**Ada: **"So, why did you do it?".

**Leon: **"What?".

**Ada: **"Him" she pointed towards large man inhaling miniature burgers.

Leon paused and sighed and slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

**Leon: **"Because I was lonely" Ada did not respond, she just quietly waited for him to continue.

**Leon: **"We were never attached at the hip while dating, our careers kept us at arms length most of the time." a smile slowly grew across his face.

**Leon: **"When I asked you to marry me, I assumed we would spend more time together. Live in the same house, eat together, sleep together and so on. But nothing changed, your were still gone for days on end, and even when you were home, your mind seemed to be somewhere else" his smile was now gone.

**Leon: **"When you told me you were ready to try for a kid, I was ecstatic. We would finally have a physical bond, something that we created together, something to bond over. Once little Jackrauser was born" the mere mention of his name caused Ada to flinch

**Leon: **"You seemed to shut me out. Your life seemed to revolve around caring for him. I would wake up in the middle of the night, see you missing from the bed, only to find you sleeping on the nursery floor. Camped out just in case he woke up and need to be fed or changed. You insisted on breastfeeding, parroting what your mother told you about bonding with your first born. It felt as if you didn't need me anymore, as if I had fulfilled my purpose by providing you with a child." Leon glanced up at her to see that her expression had softened, a tinge of guilt now present.

**Leon: **"Once he was weaned, I thought we were out of the woods, that we would finally be a functional family. Instead, you went back to work, trying to make up for lost time. Before we knew it, you were traveling again and I was left alone again, now with a child you had kept from me. He had no relationship with me, when he cried I wasn't the one he was calling out for." Leon sat up and began rubbing his eyes

**Leon: **"When the twins came along I thought you would finally need me, I thought my help would be invaluable. I would finally get to spend time with my wife and my children." he finished rubbing his eyes and stared directly at Ada.

**Leon: **"And then, your mother moved in. You insisted that you needed her help with the twins, implying that I was incapable or unworthy of caring for my own children. So I was relegated to looking after Jackrauser. By now he was potty trained and able to feed himself, so this largely consisted of dropping him off at school on my way to work and making his meals." His monologue was shortly interrupted by an announcement on the PA system.

**Announcer: **"Sherry Birkin, please return to the security station to retrieve your jewelry" Leon used this opportunity to stand up and begin pacing.

**Leon: **"So, I latched onto him, he was the only person in my life that seemed to need me. He was the only person that seemed to care. We grew closer, and eventually he stopped treating me like the secondary parent. As great as it felt to finally be a real dad, it seemed to fracture our family. Jackrauser and I seemed to be completely independent from you, your mother, and the twins. I was no longer alone, but our family was still not whole. Eventually, the twins were weaned, your mother left, and you returned to work. But this time it was different, you buried yourself in your work, saying that you had to work even harder now to prepare for the future of 3 children. We were once again driven apart, but this time I was left with 3 children instead. You were off galavanting all over the globe while I was trying to raise our children, maintain our quiet suburban facade, and advance my career at the same time. The struggle to juggle everything meant that we had to lean on friends and family for help. Your mother desperately tried to convince me that she needed to move back in but I knew that would only make it easier for you to spend more time at work."

**Ada: **"And that is when Barry entered the story".

**Leon: **"That's right. He had taken an early retirement from the BSAA and had the exact opposite problem. He was now home too much, his daughters were now teenagers and his wife had lost her interest in their marriage. He was a father, we knew his background, and most importantly of all, he was there. We spent hours together, every day, looking after the children. Unlike you, he was there, he committed himself to the kids, and he cared about me." Ada was once again staring off into space, her expression devoid of emotion once more.

**Ada: **"I am sorry, I never realized you felt this way. I thought your relationship with Barry was strictly sexual, I couldn't fathom the idea of you having a deeper connection. I thought he cared for the kids as a result of his desire for you, but it seems he really loved the kids and was simply there for you when I wasn't" .

They both sat silently for several minutes before Leon finally asked.

**Leon: **"Your turn, who have you been spending _special_ time with?".

**Ada: **"Sorry, that information is classified".

**Leon: **"That's it? That is all I get it?" Ada stood and began to walk away, without even turning to face him, she said .

**Ada: **"Do yourself a favor, stop asking questions" She walked away, her heels clicking loudly beneath her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

A thick African accent broke the relative silence.

**Pilot: **"Passengers, please put on your safety belts"

No intercom needed, the pilot simply turned around and spoke. It had taken 5 connecting flights and 17 hours in the air, but they neared their destination. Each time they changed planes the plane grew smaller and smaller. They went from a Boeing 737, to an EJR 175, to a SAAB 340, to an L-410, and finally to Cessna 208. A plane so small that every seat is a window _and _an aisle seat. The pilot, a young black man, looked as nervous as a child on their first day of school. Seated beside him, was a much older, much plumper, much more Ukrainian man. He sat with his arms crossed, not saying or touching anything.

Barry leaned forward from the row behind and said

**Barry: **"I am pretty sure I have t-shirts older than our pilot, and antique firearms that are younger than his instructor"

**Leon: **"Hey, when I was his age I was knee deep in BOWs (Raccoon City)"

**Barry: **"And? I wouldn't have wanted you landing my plane back then either"

**Chris: **"That is how it works in Africa, the only way males live long enough to develop skills is by leaving the continent. That leaves us with pilots who've never shaved" *he gestures towards the young man*

**Chris: **"And imported pilots from the Eastern Block that spent the majority of their formidable years training to drop nukes on US cities" *he gestures towards the gray pilot*

**Ada: **"Would you both stop? I am sure the young man is more than capable"

**Chris: **"Hey, I wanted a DOD Bird with pilots that do this every week. This 'pilot' is on you guys"

Ada didn't bother to acknowledge Chris before turning away, but she did tighten her seatbelt….. Just in case.

The brown and green of the savanna rushed by below them, growing ever closer as they descend. The apparent calm of the tree speckled grassland seemed to perfectly juxtapose the chaos that the region was known for. The "runway" was nothing more than a straight section of road, built by an American oil company to transport equipment and workers to an oil field. The cracks and potholes gave clues about its hasty construction.

In spite of everything working against him, the young pilot managed to set her down on the road, only bouncing twice. He pulled off the road, making a large dut cloud as he brought them to a halt. A figure walked towards them, undeterred by the cloud. This disembarked as the figure reached them.

**Sheva: **"Smooth flight?"

**Chris: **"About as smooth as the last flight I was on with you"

**Barry: **"The stewardess was pretty rude too" *he gently nudged Ada*

**Ada: **"If you touch me again, you will end up with more metal in your body than Chris"

**Barry: **"..."

**Chris: **"..."

**Leon: **"The explosives, where you able to narrow down where they came from?"

**Sheva: **"Yes, as a matter of fact, I know which arms merchant sent them to the states."

**Leon: **"Great, we'll talk on the way" Leon walked towards the only car he could see that didn't have mismatched body panels and missing doors, Shevas Landcruiser.

They piled into the vehicle, and set out towards the horizon. !980s rock and roll played softly over the radio, slowly fading the farther they went.

**Ada: **"So, who sold C4 to the daughter of the former US president?"

**Sheva: **"A foreigner, goes by the alias 'Napoleon'. Everyone thought it was strange when started doing business in the area 7 years ago. But, much like his name sake, he has conquered the illegal goods trade in this region."

**Leon: **"'Illegal goods'? So he peddles more than weapons?"

**Sheva: **"That's right. Drugs, alcohol…. Humans, if you need something, he is the man to see."

**Chris: **"I know this area isn't exactly the most stable, but are you telling me the government can't track one guy who is doing that much business? What about the BSAA? I know they've maintained a facility out here ever since the Uroboros incident."

**Sheva: **"The BSAA can't him, he may sell guns and bombs but he is smart enough to stay out of the bioweapons game, international treaties leave their hands tied. And the local government can't afford to lose him. He may sell heroin and kalashnikovs, but he is also the only person who can get medical supplies into the area. They are willing to look the other way as long as he keeps the local clinic stocked with syringes and penicillin".

**Chris: **"A smuggler AND a pillar of the community. I am sure the locals will just love us."

**Leon: **"Sell them the bullets and the bandages. Get em coming and going " .

**Ada: **"So they won't be rolling out the red carpet for us, do we even have a place to stage?"

**Sheva: **"You're riding in our staging area" .

**Ada: **"Lovely".

As the miles dragged on, a distant city grew ever closer. Black smoke could be seen rising from various locations across the city. The stench of improper sewage disposal wafted on the breeze for miles. Sheva pulled over at the last cluster of trees before town, and the team suited up.

**Leon: **"So do we have a description of our target?".

**Sheva: **"Male, 4 foot 8, known to wear a tricorn hat".

**Chris: **"A tricorn hat? I guess there is a reason he goes by Napoleon".

Ada and Leon exchanged an uncomfortable look, that description matches a mutual acquaintance of theirs.

**Barry: **"So what is our plan?" .

**Sheva: **"I managed to set up a meeting with him, told him I have some women from the next town over who are all packaged up and ready for wholesale"

**Leon: **"Disgusting" .

**Sheva: **"Agreed, but I had to offer him something pretty valuable to get a face to face meeting. He usually travels with 4 armed guards, locals, neutralizing them won't be a problem…. But….." .

**Chris: **"Oh here we go".

**Sheva: **"The meeting place is less than 500 meters from his warehouse, meaning reinforcements would be less than 5 minutes away.".

**Leon: **"So, if we screw up this snatch and grab, we might end up dealing with his entire garrison of guards?".

**Ada: **"Then I guess you boys had better get this right" .


End file.
